Citizenship by grant for yourself

Citizenship by grant for your child

You can apply for your child to be granted NZ citizenship. Include a letter with the application form that explains why your child should be granted citizenship even though they don't meet the requirements. You should include any evidence you have.

If you're thinking about international surrogacy

Under NZ law, children born using a surrogate are unlikely to have any legal relationship with the commissioning parents — the person who gives birth to the child and her partner (if she has one) will be considered the child's legal parents.

Under NZ law, the commissioning parents will need to become the child’s legal parents for the child to be eligible for NZ citizenship — the child will not automatically be a citizen by descent. In NZ this is achieved through adoption.